Annabel X Tan, Sylvie Dobrota Lai, Vishnu Ravi, J David Rhodes, Suzanne E Judd, Michelle C Odden
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and objectives: Extreme outdoor temperatures are known barriers to physical activity and may constrain life-space mobility, the geographic footprint of where people live, work, and recreate, and an important indicator of health and independence among older adults. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth) app designed to objectively capture life-space and to demonstrate its utility through a downstream analysis of ambient temperature and life-space mobility.
Research design and methods: Using data collected via an iPhone app from 82 participants in an ongoing cohort study (June 2023-January 2024), we used linear mixed-effects models to examine associations between daily average temperature and 3 objective life-space measures: ellipse area, maximum distance traveled, and total distance traveled. Models were stratified by season and adjusted for relative humidity and sociodemographic covariates.
Results: The app successfully captured high-resolution longitudinal mobility data over 2 weeks per participant. There was a significant negative nonlinear association between higher daily average temperature and life-space in the summer. With the peak life-space ellipse area observed at 28.8 °C, for every degree Celsius greater than 28.8 °C, we found a statistically significant decrease in ellipse area by 2.97 km2 (95% CI: -5.45, -0.51; p = .02). Findings were similar for the outcomes of maximum and total distances traveled.
Discussion and implications: This study demonstrates that mHealth technology is a feasible tool for assessing life-space mobility in older adults. Higher temperatures are associated with lower life-space metrics, highlighting the potential of app-derived metrics as digital biomarkers for mobility research.
背景和目的：已知室外极端温度是身体活动的障碍，可能限制生活空间流动性，即人们生活、工作和娱乐场所的地理足迹，也是老年人健康和独立的重要指标。我们进行了一项试点研究，以评估移动健康（mHealth）应用程序的可行性，该应用程序旨在客观地捕捉生活空间，并通过对环境温度和生活空间流动性的下游分析来展示其实用性。研究设计和方法：在一项正在进行的队列研究（2023年6月至2024年1月）中，我们使用iPhone应用程序收集了82名参与者的数据，使用线性混合效应模型来检验日平均温度与3个客观生活空间测量指标（椭圆面积、最大旅行距离和总旅行距离）之间的关系。模型按季节分层，并根据相对湿度和社会人口学协变量进行调整。结果：该应用程序成功捕获了每位参与者超过2周的高分辨率纵向移动数据。夏季较高的日平均气温与生活空间呈显著的负非线性相关。在28.8°C时观察到的峰值生命空间椭圆面积，高于28.8°C的每摄氏度，我们发现椭圆面积在统计学上显著减少2.97 km2 （95% CI: -5.45, -0.51; p = 0.02）。最大旅行距离和总旅行距离的结果相似。讨论和启示：本研究表明，移动健康技术是评估老年人生活空间流动性的可行工具。较高的温度与较低的生命空间指标相关，这凸显了应用程序派生指标作为流动性研究的数字生物标志物的潜力。
期刊介绍：
Innovation in Aging, an interdisciplinary Open Access journal of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), is dedicated to publishing innovative, conceptually robust, and methodologically rigorous research focused on aging and the life course. The journal aims to present studies with the potential to significantly enhance the health, functionality, and overall well-being of older adults by translating scientific insights into practical applications. Research published in the journal spans a variety of settings, including community, clinical, and laboratory contexts, with a clear emphasis on issues that are directly pertinent to aging and the dynamics of life over time. The content of the journal mirrors the diverse research interests of GSA members and encompasses a range of study types. These include the validation of new conceptual or theoretical models, assessments of factors impacting the health and well-being of older adults, evaluations of interventions and policies, the implementation of groundbreaking research methodologies, interdisciplinary research that adapts concepts and methods from other fields to aging studies, and the use of modeling and simulations to understand factors and processes influencing aging outcomes. The journal welcomes contributions from scholars across various disciplines, such as technology, engineering, architecture, economics, business, law, political science, public policy, education, public health, social and psychological sciences, biomedical and health sciences, and the humanities and arts, reflecting a holistic approach to advancing knowledge in gerontology.
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